The Rich Cheating to Get Into College? Not Shocking.
posted by Nieema Williams | March 27, 2019 | In News, OpinionOn March 12, United States federal prosecutors disclosed a conspiracy to influence admissions decisions at several American research universities, with at least 50 people alleged to have been part of it.
According to Tom Winter and Minyvonne Burke of NBC, “Several parents of college applicants have been accused of paying more than $25 million between 2011 and 2018 to William Rick Singer, a college admissions counselor and leader of the scheme.”
Singer then used part of the money to falsify student test scores and bribe college officials. Singer controlled two firms involved in the scheme: The Key Worldwide Foundation and The Edge College & Career Network. After news broke of this scandal, Singer also pleaded guilty and helped the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) collect incriminating evidence against co-conspirators.
After admitting to unethically facilitating college admissions for more than 750 families, Massachusetts is left with unsealed indictments and complaints against 50 people, which includes Singer, who bribed university staff, and people who have used bribery and fraud to secure admission for their children at 9 different universities, which includes Stanford University, Yale University, University of California, Los Angeles, Georgetown University and Wake Forest University. The FBI is still conducting investigations into the case nicknamed: Operation Varsity Blues.
The larger “shock” factor about this case has been the celebrity names released with the 50 names in the scandal. Felicity Huffman best known for her role as “Lynnette” on Desperate Housewives and Lori Loughlin America’s “Aunty Becky” from the classic ‘90s show Full House, were both arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services fraud. Loughlin’s bond was set at $1 million, and Huffman was released for $250,000. The discrepancies in admissions took place in the athletics departments of the University of Southern California where Loughlin paid $500,000 for her two daughters’ test scores to be forged, and for them to be added to the crew team although neither of them had ever participated in the sport. Loughlin’s husband and fashion designer J. Mossimo Giannulli was also arrested and his bond set at $1 million.
The accused 50-person list is compiled as such: two SAT/ACT administrators, one exam proctor, nine coaches at elite schools, one college administrator and 33 parents.
The regular day-to-day coverage following up on the scandal has just been listing of more officials and head coaches leaving their jobs or being fired. For the two women who became the face of this scandal, Huffman and Loughlin, they now must deal with personal ramifications in their careers. Loughlin represents so many television brands like Lifetime and Hallmark, and she currently is a part of the Netflix revival of Full House called Fuller House. She however was fired by Hallmark. Her daughter Olivia Jade Giannulli, a YouTube blogger has lost several fashion endorsements and her makeup line with SEPHORA. Loughlin’s husband has also lost deals with his fashion business, and Huffman has deleted all her social media accounts and has been reportedly “suffering in her home life.”
Although the parent’s intentions seem clear, they wanted their kids to get into a good school, their children’s grades, GPA nor extracurricular involvement reflected anything close to the institution’s standards for admission. Lies were told and money power was used to break rules and steal opportunities away from deserving applicants. This is not a new crime. With the continuance of white-star-money privilege this national scandal will not even scratch the surface of this issue. Admissions offices all over the U.S. will look harder into their acceptances and affect how the college admissions process is handled across the board. Maybe we needed this scandal, it possibly has fueled the greatest change of the collegiate process in history.
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